Your First FeedbackPulse Review Cycle
A Review Cycle is a time-bound feedback collection period with a review period, a due date, and a set of Participants. Only an Admin can create or manage a Review Cycle.
If you are preparing a first 360-style review with HR, managers, and employees, use the 360 Review Cycle Training Manual as the operational runbook.
What a Review Cycle collects
Section titled “What a Review Cycle collects”There is no per-cycle “type” to choose. Performance Reviews and Peer Reviews are separate features that your Organization can turn on independently, and both can run within the same Review Cycle at the same time:
| Component | What it collects | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Review | Self-assessments + Manager evaluations | 1-2 weeks |
| Peer Review | Feedback from colleagues (360-degree) | 1-2 weeks |
Engagement Survey and Pulse Survey are not Review Cycles. They are Survey templates launched through the separate Surveys feature. See Launch Your First Survey for how to create one.
How to create a Review Cycle
Section titled “How to create a Review Cycle”- Go to Reviews > Cycles and choose New Cycle. (Settings > Review Cycles is configuration-only and does not create cycles.)
- Set the review period (start and end dates) and the due date (at least seven days after the review period end date)
- Configure Peer Review nominations, if Peer Reviews are enabled for your Organization
- Choose the launch mode: Keep as Draft, Schedule Launch, or Launch Now
Launching or scheduling a cycle does not create performance review forms. After the cycle is active, admins add performance reviews from the active cycle page or the admin banner on Performance Reviews (managers can add their own direct reports when the cycle allows it).
Cycle lifecycle
Section titled “Cycle lifecycle”Each Review Cycle moves through these states:
Draft -> Scheduled -> Active -> Completed- Draft: created but not yet sent to Participants. Can be edited freely.
- Scheduled: set to launch automatically at a future date.
- Active: notifications sent. Participants can respond, and the cycle stays Active while responses come in.
- Completed: the due date has passed. No more responses accepted, and results are available in Analytics.
Rules and constraints
Section titled “Rules and constraints”- Once a Review Cycle is launched, Participants cannot be removed. You can add more performance reviews or extend the due date.
- More than one Review Cycle can be active at the same time. An employee can be in more than one active cycle, with one performance review in each. Completed cycles keep their reviews.
- Performance reviews are added after the cycle is active, and only active employees who have an assigned manager and do not already have a review in that cycle can be added.
- The due date must be at least 7 days after the end of the review period.
- Admins can delete draft or test cycles while they have no submitted review data.
- Once a cycle contains submitted review data, close it instead of deleting it so the historical record remains intact.
Monitoring completion
Section titled “Monitoring completion”The cycle dashboard shows completion status for each Participant:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Submitted their response |
| Blue | Started but not yet submitted |
| Gray | Not yet started |
| Red | Overdue: the due date has passed without a submission |
Automated email reminders are sent at configurable intervals as the due date approaches.
Viewing results
Section titled “Viewing results”After the due date:
- Performance Review results are visible to the Employee’s Manager and all Admins
- Peer Review results are aggregated and visible according to your Organization’s Peer Review visibility settings
For Engagement Survey and Pulse Survey results, see Launch Your First Survey.
All results are preserved in Analytics for historical comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Q: Can I delete a test Review Cycle? A: Yes, if the cycle has no submitted performance review or peer review data. Go to Review Cycles, open the cycle actions, and choose Delete. If the cycle already has submitted reviews, FeedbackPulse protects the historical data and the cycle cannot be deleted from the normal cycle list.
Q: What should I do with a live cycle that has real responses? A: Close the cycle instead of deleting it. Closing locks the cycle and keeps the submitted review data available for reporting and export.
Q: Are Review Cycles linked across time? A: Each Review Cycle is a standalone period with its own reviews, questions, due dates, and status. Continuity comes from reusing the same employees, managers, review questions, competencies, and goals across cycles. Completed cycles stay available for historical comparison and export.
Q: What happens if a Participant misses the deadline? A: Their status shows as incomplete. Admins can extend the deadline to give more time.
Q: Can an Employee see their Manager’s evaluation? A: Yes. The employee sees the manager review once both the self-review and the manager review are submitted. There is no setting to hide it.